


Charlie And Panda Are In Love And They Can't Stop Saying It Every Five Minutes: A Panlie Week Collection

by Quartzes



Category: We Bare Bears (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, for all this fluff, lots of fluff, yall better go to the store and buy their entire stock in lint rollers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-04-24 01:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19163431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quartzes/pseuds/Quartzes
Summary: A collection of Panlie Week 2019 fics of Varying Lengths Trademark Symbol™️. About as much fluff as a giant maine coon cat. Charlie and Panda like to kiss and hold hands and they're in love.





	1. Panda Is An Idiot And He Knows It But He's Still Super Dumb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panda has a heart-to-heart with Charlie about his doubts regarding the dating scene, leading him to make a couple of realizations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> likely the longest fic im gonna have in this collection aha. i had A Lot to say

"Aw, shoot!" Panda sat up in his seat inside of Charlie's car. The sun was setting, and the two had been idly watching some videos on Panda's phone. At least, until the battery decided to die. "Darn it, I swear it had at least 20 percent a few minutes ago..."

"Wait, hold on!" Charlie leaned forward, reaching towards Panda's side of the car to get into the glove box. "I've got just the thing for ya. Found it in here a couple days ago." After a bit of rummaging through what, admittedly, looked like a bunch of trash stuffed into the compartment, he pulled out a pack of what appeared to be clearly expired, corroded AAA batteries. "Here we are! They're pretty high quality too, if the 'aaaahhh' on the packaging is anything to go by!"

Panda blinked a couple of times at Charlie's offer, brow quirked. "Uh... I appreciate it, but I don't think those will fit in my phone, dude."

"Oh. Well, darn." Charlie frowned for a moment, looking down before bringing his gaze back to Panda. "Heh, I guess you've gotta go home and charge up then, huh?"

"Well... Not really, I think I can survive a few hours without it." Panda shrugged, setting his phone on the dash.

"Really?" Charlie perked up in his seat. His eyes almost appeared to sparkle at Panda deciding to stay a little longer. "Well I don't want you sitting out here all bored! Whaddya feel like doing?"

"Hm... Not sure. Come to think of it, I don't do much besides stay on my phone whenever I _am_ out here. ...Wow, that sounds kinda bad out loud."

"Well, shoot, Panda!" Charlie reached out to take Panda's hand in his own. "How about we walk for a little bit? The woods are real pretty by the time the sun goes down!" Without a moment's hesitation, Charlie opened the door up on his side, pulling Panda along with him as he stepped out.

"Woah-oh!" Panda scrambled to keep up with Charlie, barely managing to step over the control panel in between the two seats while Charlie pulled him out. "Sheesh, man, I could've just gotten out on my side." Panda rolled his eyes, but couldn't hold back a little smile. Charlie's excitement always had that effect on him, like his happiness was contagious or something.

"Sure you could've! But every second counts here!" Charlie said as he began leading Panda down what seemed like a random path. With every passing minute, the sky grew a little darker as the night settled in. "Say, how often do you explore these woods, anyway?"

"Not... Often?" Panda admitted. "I'm never really out here much, unless I'm with my brothers, or if we're doing something with Tabes..." Jeez, did he sound like too much of a shut-in when he said that?

"Perfect!" Charlie beamed. And there went any embarrassment Panda may have been feeling. No matter what he said to Charlie, whether it was the slightest bit embarrassing or downright humiliating, Charlie didn't have a single judgmental cell in his body. "Keep followin' me, we're gonna start walking around until we find something cool! I always end up seeing something new every time I walk out here."

"Wait, what??" Panda's eyes went wide. "Charlie, you're not gonna get us lost, are you?"

"Of course not, I've got an internal compass with a solid... 96% accuracy!" Charlie assured him. Panda puffed his cheeks at that, deciding that it'd be best to just trust Charlie on this. He's gotten around just fine for this long without getting lost, after all.

As the two walked paw-in-hand together, Panda's tensions began to wind down. Charlie was right, the woods were awful pretty under the low light. He looked up at the sky while Charlie led them seemingly aimlessly, not realizing another soft smile had shown up on his face. He couldn't believe that after all the time he's lived in these parts, he's never taken the time to stay in the woods for a while after the sunset, and simply take in the beauty of the night.

Panda's gaze shifted to Charlie, who, come to find out, had been staring up too. So he'd probably been paying as little attention to where they were going as Panda was. Maybe it'd be a better idea if Panda started looking forward, he figured, just for his own peace of mind to ensure they didn't get too lost. But right as he brought his attention away from Charlie and to the path in front of him-- "Whoa, Charlie, watch out--!" But his warning came a little too late as Charlie ran face-first into a tree, stumbling back. Panda squeaked, quickly, reflexively putting his arms out to catch him. Charlie still, unceremoniously, ended up falling onto the ground, but Panda had reached out just in time to keep Charlie from falling back and hitting his head, holding him up in a sitting position.

"Oh no! Charlie, are you okay?" Panda leaned a bit closer to check his face for any scratches, brows knitted with worry. There was no damage as far as he could tell, luckily, other than some ruffled up fur from the impact. "I'm sorry, I would've warned you sooner if I was paying attention!"

"Hey, hey, don't sweat it, I'm alright!" Charlie laughed a little. "I was the one leading us, it's more my bad than anything." Panda sighed in relief, seeing Charlie just as perky and smiley as he always was. The two looked forward again, and only then realized their surroundings. All around them were trees, each one with a similar carving embedded into the bark. Hearts, with the familiar "A+B," "C+D" initialing inside of them. There had to be at least one tree for every possible combination of letters there was.

"Whoa..." The two whispered out in unison. Charlie picked himself back up, looking around.

"Hm..." Charlie thought for a moment. "You know, Pan-man, I've seen a lot of carvings like this, but I don't think I've ever come across this many in one place!" He tapped a finger against his chin. "Now, I'm not a mathematician, but I don't think you can add letters together."

"What?" Panda let out this humored sort of noise, a single huff of a laugh. "Charlie, you goofball, it's not math, it's a couple thing. You write your initials in a heart, and it's like... I dunno! It's just romantic, leaving a reminder about how much you love someone on such a permanent space like that."

"Oh! That makes... A lot more sense than whatever theories I had!"

"Pfft." Panda took a bit of time to let his eyes wander, looking at each different carving. Some a little more intricate, with rounded hearts and fancier lettering, some more rustic and pointed. But no matter the artistry, each carving had something in common. They were all made by a couple somewhere out there, who were fond enough of each other to leave a mark on a small patch of the world. "Man... I've always wanted to make one of these carvings with someone."

"What's stopping you?" Charlie asked without skipping a beat. "Are you really telling me you still ain't dating anyone?"

"What!" Panda's head shot up to look up at Charlie. "No, no, of course I'm not dating anybody! Sheesh, man, you're kinda my best friend, you know. Don't you think I would've told you if I was?"

"Aw!" Charlie smiled wide, going in to hug Panda tight. "You're my best friend, too, Pan-pan!"

"Pff, yeah, yeah." Panda smiled a bit, returning Charlie's hug.

Charlie pulled away on his own after a bit, if only so he could keep looking around at all the trees. He sat down, and shortly, Panda followed suit. "Really, though, how have you been single all this time? Anyone would be lucky to date you!"

Panda, suddenly, went quiet. He looked off to the side, only responding with a shrug.

"Panda?" Charlie blinked, putting a hand on the bear's shoulder and giving a gentle shake. "Are you okay, did I say something wrong?"

"Huh? No, no, Charlie, you're fine." Panda patted Charlie's hand, giving a little smile. This expression only lasted for so long, though, as Panda sighed. "I dunno. I've kinda been thinking a lot lately. About me in the dating scene and all."

"Yeah?" Charlie sat up properly.

"Yeah... It's just, the more I've been thinking about it, the more I realize, I kind of really, really suck at romance? Like, every time I try, every time I think I have a chance with a girl, it either turns out to be nothing at best, or it just fails catastrophically at worst, you know...?" Panda looked to Charlie, then quickly away again, coughing into his paw. "Uh... Sorry, I didn't mean to dump that on you all at once."

"You can always talk to me!" Charlie assured him, shocked that Panda would apologize after the most minute amount of venting. "I wanna be here for you."

That brought a smile right back to Panda's face, a warm, much more genuine one. "You're too nice, Charlie." He said, before sighing. That last bit of sunlight had dissipated entirely by now, and the wind was beginning to pick up. Panda shivered as the breeze hit him. "I don't know. I guess I'm starting to realize that I'm probably... Not cut out for romance."

Charlie scooted closer, shielding him from the wind. "So, you're saying you don't want to be in a relationship after all?" He asked, head tilted.

"I don't think that's it." Panda leaned in a bit as Charlie moved closer to him. "It's not like I want to be alone. Heck, I'm terrified of the idea." Panda's own words made a thought come to him. "Maybe that's the problem, though?"

As Panda talked about that fear of loneliness, a careful hand went over Panda's paw, giving a gentle grip. "Whaddya mean, that's the problem?" Charlie asked.

"I mean that, maybe I've been so worried about being alone, I've been rushing into having all these crushes on all these girls, and I never bothered to consider how a relationship would actually turn out!" Growing frustrated with himself the more he spoke, he put his free paw over his face. "Like, I'll see a girl, and maybe she likes a couple of the same things as me, or maybe I just think she's pretty, and I'll spend hours thinking about her. I'll want to dance with her, and kiss her, and do all this sappy romantic stuff, but..." Panda sighed. "I don't think I've ever had a _genuine_ crush on any of those girls. All this time, I've just been projecting these vague fantasies onto them. Putting a face on all the romantic stuff I want to do one day. But I never really think... What would that relationship be like? Besides just me and her kissing and holding hands? And then I realize I have no idea what that'd be like, because I barely even know any of the girls I get crushes on!" Groaning, Panda slumped against the other.

"Panda, hey, hey..." Charlie gently squeezed at Panda's paw. "Settle down a bit, darlin', take a second to breathe."

Panda nodded, taking in a deep breath, and then exhaled. Okay. Okay, he was a little bit calmer now. "I guess it's obvious enough. If I ever want to fall in love, I have to actually know someone. I can't just go and marry the first cute girl I come across." With every word, he felt a little dumber. How did it take him so long to reach such obvious, common-sense conclusions?

"Well, guess that means you should date someone you do know, right? Ain't there anyone out there you're interested in?"

"Not really, come to think of it." Panda shrugged. "I don't have a lot of close friends that are girls, and I doubt the few that are there would even want to date me. I mean, who would? I think I've come to terms with the fact that I'd be a terrible boyfriend."

"I'd date you!" Charlie was quick to say, eyes wide at Panda's insinuation. "I think you'd be a great boyfriend!"

Panda looked at Charlie for a second. Then, he gave Charlie a little, toothy smile. "Aw, Charlie, that's sweet of you to say. But... Are you sure about that, man? I'm not exactly the coolest out there, or the strongest, or really, well, the anything-est?"

"You're the cutest!" Charlie was quick to say (earning a grumble out of Panda). Relieved that he got a smile out of Panda, he flashed one right back. "And besides, you're the strongest and bravest guy I know!"

"Brave?" Panda blinked. "Charlie, I'm pretty sure we established a while ago that's super untrue. Don't you remember that whole wolf incident?" Ugh, it was embarrassing just thinking about it, but it proved his point. "You know, how it turned out that I only scared them off on accident?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, though! So what if you only scared them off by mistake? I think that if you can intimidate a whole bunch of wolves like that, you could do anything!"

Panda looked away from Charlie, smiling sheepishly. Maybe he had a bit of a point. That was something he always appreciated about Charlie, he saw good in Panda that he had trouble even seeing in himself.

"And don't even get me started on that time at the toxic lake!" Charlie brought up.

"Nooo!" Panda covered his face up with his paws. "Don't get started on that!" Sheesh, he hated being reminded of that day, he was just so dumb! Why did anyone actually let him trap himself in a dumb plastic bubble over a goofy movie?

"I'm getting started on it!" Charlie said anyway. "You remember pulling me out of there, don't you? I've never seen anything braver than that in my life!" Charlie's eyes practically sparkled as he brought up this memory. Panda felt his heart skip a beat at Charlie's smile. It was so warm and sweet and... Adoring. If that was the right word for it.

"...I couldn't just leave you there." Panda whispered. "Charlie, I was scared to death. I was scared I wouldn't get you out of there in time, I was scared I'd _lose you_." He let out a shaky sigh. "You came so close to dying, and it would've been my fault."

"But I'm here!" Charlie placed his hands on either side of Panda's face. "I'm here, I'm okay! You ain't gotta fret over it! You got us out of there, and you saved me! You're so much braver than you give yourself credit for!"

Panda was startled by Charlie's touch. He stared at him for a moment, then brought a hand up, holding one of Charlie's hands in place. He smiled softly, beginning to relax.

"I'm really glad you're around, Charlie."

Charlie's thumb gently rubbed against Panda's cheek. "Same to you, Pan-pan."

The wind was starting to slow down. In place of that chill from a few minutes ago was a gentle, warm breeze. Charlie and Panda sat like that for a moment, in a calm, content silence.

"Charlie?" Panda finally spoke up. "Have you ever dated anyone?"

Charlie tensed, the hairs of his moustache pointing downwards. He cleared his throat, feeling his face start to warm up with blue. His hands were abruptly pulled away from Panda. "Gosh! Uh, where's that coming from?"

"Oh-- Sorry! You don't have to answer! I'm just making conversation, it seemed kind of relevant, was all!"

"No, no, it's okay! Caught me off guard for a second there, though!" Charlie laughed softly, waving a hand in front of himself. "Nah, can't say I ever have. Crushes are a whole 'nother story, but..."

So Charlie has liked someone before. But he's never actually dated anyone? Who would reject Charlie, Panda had to wonder. Even if it took a while for Panda to warm up to him-- Even if he was so _dumb_ as to not Like Charlie at first-- Charlie was still the sweetest guy around! 

"Well." Panda said. "I think any guy would be lucky to date you, Charlie." He repeated what Charlie had told him.

Charlie blinked. He glanced down to Panda, then laughed gently, looking back up to the stars. "Thanks, Pan-Pan, that means a bunch."

It was a new moon that night, and the stars were shining at their brightest. But every time Panda looked at the sky, he found his eyes trailing back to Charlie. Compared to his smile, nothing was brighter, more radiant, more beautiful.

Panda didn't even notice himself reaching over, placing his hand over Charlie's. "Hm?" Charlie glanced to the awestruck Panda. Panda didn't look away when the other noticed him, instead leaning a bit closer. On cue, Charlie did the same, until their faces were only inches away from each other.

 _I think you'd be a great boyfriend_. Those words rang continuously in Panda's head. He thought about those sweet looks Charlie always gave him, and all the kisses he's received over the past couple of years of knowing him. How, somehow, some way, he was always able to make Charlie smile, and no matter how stubborn he was about it, how Panda always ended up grinning with him. How much Charlie adored him, and how much he adored Charlie.

And suddenly, Panda stood back up.

"It's-- It's pretty late!" Panda said, brushing himself off. "I should get going!"

"Oh." Charlie looked up to Panda. "Y-yeah, guess it is pretty dark out, ain't it? You should get some rest!"

"Right." Panda coughed. In an instant, he had gone from being unable to turn away from Charlie, to having trouble giving him the slightest glance. "Stay safe out here, okay! Goodnight, Charlie!"

"Yeah! Same to you, Pan-pan!" As soon as Charlie waved Panda goodbye, the bear was rushing off.

Panda made his way back home with enough ease, he and Charlie hadn't walked far from where they were. He opened the door quietly, glancing around. The house was dark, and nobody seemed to be around. They'd probably went to sleep by now. Sighing, Panda shut the door behind him, and dragged himself to his room. He had some things to think about.

He practically fell into bed, patting himself a couple times in search of his phone. And only then did he realize that he'd forgotten it in the woods. Great. So he had nothing to do but lay there, think, and try to sleep.

...The sleep part didn't turn out to be that likely. He was on and off all night, having gotten what maaaaybe equaled up to, if he was being generous, an hour of sleep, in a bunch of 15-20 minute bursts, his thoughts refusing to let him rest. It was around 6 A.M. when he finally gave up, knowing the sun would come up soon anyway. He pushed himself out of bed, making his way to the kitchen. He'd just have to make up for his lack of sleep with as much caffeine as he could possibly take in.

"Little bro?" Panda paused in the doorway at the sight of Ice Bear, who was already up and at the counter. He knew the guy was an early riser, but he thought he'd have waited at least until sunrise. "You're up already?"

"Ice Bear must be on alert. Justice never sleeps."

"You just got hungry and wanted to get up early for a snack, didn't you." Panda crossed his arms.

"...Ice Bear pleads the fifth." He said, stuffing the last bite of his cereal in his mouth.

Panda managed a huff of a laugh as he made his way to the coffee pot, thanking the heavens that they now had one of those automated timed ones. He poured a mug of what was practically half coffee, half a mixture of powdered creamer and sugar. By the time he sat down at the table, he'd already settled back into that tired little frown he had when he first left his room.

"Something's troubling Panda." Said Ice. "Up too early. Quiet. Ice Bear wants to know what's wrong."

Panda looked up, blinking, then shrugged, staring back down as he stirred idly at his coffee. "I dunno. I hung out with Charlie last night, and we ended up having this heart-to-heart, and... Now I've got stuff on my mind."

"Charlie?" Ice pulled a seat up to sit across from Panda.

"Yeah..." He paused for a second. He wasn't trying to be elusive, because let's face it, he'd probably end up being prompted to elaborate anyway, but he needed a second to figure out where to even start. "... I've been thinking for a while. About how I'm always rushing into having crushes on girls. And I brought this up with Charlie, right?" Ice nodded along as he listened. "I told him that I don't think I've ever had a genuine crush, that I've been convincing myself I like all these girls just because I'm that desperate for a relationship. But there was something else I was kind of... Tiptoeing around." Panda hesitated. He knew that his brothers and Charlie were the last people that would judge him. But he still had some difficulty spitting it out. "I didn't want to bring it up when I was talking to him, because I still wasn't sure, but I'm starting to think. Maybe I've never had a real crush on a girl because I like guys instead?"

Ice Bear's head tilted up at the last sentence. Panda was quiet now, his eyes averted, and his shoulders slumped. "... Wasn't sure?" Ice asked, noting Panda's use of past tense.

"I think Charlie likes me." Panda said, getting to the point. "Ugh, I'm saying 'I think' like he didn't literally tell me he'd date me and that I'd be a great boyfriend. And now, I'm starting to think that I..."

Even if Charlie never said it outright, anyone could tell from a mile away that he was utterly infatuated with Panda. But Ice wasn't going to bring up Panda's obliviousness, it seemed like he was already plenty aware of that much. "...Like Charlie back?" Ice finished for him, seeing that Panda was hesitating to say it himself.

"I almost _kissed him_." Panda sighed. "But... I ran off at the last second." Panda's heart started to physically, genuinely hurt from the memory. Wondering how Charlie must have felt when he left. "After I thought about everything he said, all I wanted to do was stay there, and be close to him. But I started thinking. What if I'm doing to Charlie, what I always do to any girl I think I have a chance with? What if I just _decided_ that I like him all a sudden, like, 'Oh hey, I just realized I'm gay, let's go after the first guy that said something nice to me!'" He had a mocking smile as he spoke that last half of the sentence, the expression immediately falling once he was done, Panda folding his arms up onto the table and burying his face into them.

"Panda cares about Charlie. Doesn't want to hurt him." Ice noted. "Doesn't want to lead him on. But doesn't want to reject him, either."

Panda looked up a bit from where he was laying his head, and quietly nodded.

"Charlie cares for Panda, too." He said. "Wouldn't want you to be in a relationship just to make him happy."

"...Yeah. Of course he wouldn't, he's too sweet to want anyone to be unhappy for his own sake." What did he do to deserve someone as wonderful as Charlie crushing on him, Panda wondered?

"Ice Bear wants you to think." He said. "Think about a relationship with Charlie. Holding hands, dates. Kissing him."

Panda thought on it. He thought about how he and Charlie held hands the previous night, how warm and comforted Charlie made him feel. How much he liked hanging out with Charlie, and watching dumb videos with him, or playing games with him, and how much better those hangouts would be if they were snuggled up a little more often, or holding hands the whole way through, or... He thought about what it would've been like if he didn't run off that last second. If he didn't chicken out, and he kissed him. His heart fluttered in a way that only Charlie could make it do.

"Panda is smiling."

Panda's head shot back up, his cheeks burning by the time he was addressed. "Well-- yeah! Of course I'm smiling! There's nobody I'd rather do any of that stuff with than Charlie!"

"Nobody else makes you feel this way... Except Charlie."

And the more Panda considered it, the more true he realized it was. He couldn't just put any random face on his romantic fantasies and feel those same butterflies that he used to. No matter how much he tried to imagine any other person, of any gender, it was only when he put Charlie in those scenarios that he felt his heart truly warming. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess it really is only him."

"Panda's decided then. You like Charlie."

"Honestly?" Panda laughed softly. "Would you believe me if I said I think I've been in love with him for a while?"

"Ice Bear could've told you that years ago." There was the vaguest smug look on his face.

"Hey!" Panda grumbled at the other, glancing to the window. The sun was beginning to rise, and he knew that Charlie would be waking up just about now. "...So. Should I tell him?"

"Ice Bear says go for it. Both are in love with each other."

"You don't think he's upset with me? I kinda did just bail on him out of nowhere!"

"Charlie is understanding. Would be happy to see Panda again." Ice nodded.

Panda took a deep breath, then smiled, rising from his seat. "Then I'll do it. I'm gonna go tell Charlie how I feel, and I'm gonna be his boyfriend!"

-

Kneeling down on the forest floor, in front of a small patch of flowers, Charlie picked two out of the ground, looking them over with a squint. "Hm... What do you think, Snake, would Panda like dandelion or larkspur better?"

"Sss," the snake reminded him.

Charlie gasped out, dropping the flowers and putting both his hands over his mouth. "You're right, he's allergic to flowers! How did I forget!" With a hum, Charlie observed his surroundings. If he couldn't give Panda flowers, then what else?

Think about Panda. Think about what he likes. Boy, did he think about Panda a lot. All he ever wanted was to be around him, and give him all the affection he deserved, except he couldn't give him that, because Panda deserved more love than what anyone was physically capable to give him all at once--

"Ssss." Said Snake to snap Charlie out of his thoughts.

"Wha--?" Charlie's cheeks flushed at the mention of the "pining look" he had on his face, "again." "Right, right! Gotta focus, gotta make this confession perfect."

Charlie wasn't exactly secretive about his feelings for Panda, never afraid to shower him in affection whenever he wanted to, hugging him and kissing his perfect, precious face with any chance he got. And yet, Panda never seemed to get the hint. In a way, Charlie reckoned that was a good thing, how oblivious Panda was to his affections. He was content as long as he and Panda stayed friends, knowing full well how unlikely it was that Panda would return his feelings. At least, until the previous night.

He wasn't upset with Panda for running off like he did. He was taken aback at first, but after he had some time to think on it, he realized that Panda was probably as confused as him. They just had that whole conversation about Panda's love life, of course he'd need a while to figure himself out! now Still, Charlie had his worries. What if he was doing this too soon, if he needed to give Panda time? Or even worse, what if he was reading too much into it? Maybe Panda didn't feel the same way Charlie did? Maybe he only rushed back home because things were getting too weird?

"Ssss!" The snake demanded.

"Dang it... Okay, you're right." Charlie nodded. Snake had a point, the more he dwelled on it, the more discouraged he'd get, and then he'd end up never telling Panda! He was making this happen _today_. This was the perfect moment. He was going to bring Panda his phone back, and he was going to finally tell him, bluntly, right there, how he felt.

-

"Man, how is the sun already up? It's not fair." Grizz rubbed his eyes as he met Ice on the couch, flopping down ever so gracefully with a sigh. "Hey, do you know if Panda ever made it home last night? He was out pretty late, wasn't he?"

"Panda just walked out." Ice answered. "Ice Bear says Panda and Charlie will be dating in the next half hour."

"Wait, what?!" And for once, Grizz actually regretted not getting up a bit earlier. "What did I miss? I need context!"

Before Ice Bear could answer, the two heard someone talking outside of the window. The two brothers looked, then to each other, then back to the window. A silent agreement was made. It wouldn't hurt to peek out for a second, would it?

Charlie had made it to the cave just as Panda was walking out. His hands were behind his back. Grizz and Ice couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but they saw him handing Panda the phone he'd left behind. Panda smiled awkwardly, taking it from him. He then coughed, his foot tracing little circles on the ground. "Um..." They could see him saying. Charlie spoke up for Panda, still incomprehensible to Grizz and Ice, smiling nervously as he brought his other hand out, offering him... A handful of grass and pebbles?

Panda looked up to him in confusion. Charlie explained himself, something about flowers, and Panda's allergies, and something something. Whatever that something something was though, brought Panda to silence.

And then, he smiled. And smiled wider. And suddenly, he was jumping into Charlie's arms, laughing, Charlie stumbling back, barely managing to keep himself on his feet as he held onto Panda. "I love you, too!" Panda exclaimed, that much, they could hear loud and clear. 

Charlie was laughing too, now, Panda bouncing with joy in the other's arms. It was like this for a good few moments, until Panda reached up for Charlie's face. He pulled him down, and finally, _finally_ , he pressed his lips to Charlie's. Charlie's eyes went wide, but soon, fluttered closed as he placed his hands on Panda's shoulders, sweetly returning his kiss. It was a little messy at the start, and Panda could already feel mustache hairs getting in his mouth but it was everything he ever wanted. _Charlie_ was everything he ever wanted.

"Is Grizz crying?" Ice Bear asked.

"Just have happiness in my eyes!" Grizz defended himself, sniffling.

"Ice Bear thinks we should let them have their moment."

"Right. Right." Grizz wiped his eyes, and the two turned away from the window. They could still hear the new couple laughing together.


	2. panda gets viciously attacked by a butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe comes over to the cave around the same time as Charlie, who ends up tagging along to help her with some school work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> matching outfits/secrets joint fic!

"Ice Bear wants to know why you two are playing dress-up."

"We're not playing dress-up!" Panda huffed, reaching to adjust the strings on Charlie's soft-yellow hoodie. With this, he wore a pair of more-than-slightly loose jeans supported by a belt, and a white beanie with a light blue pom-pom sewed onto the top. Panda wore a similar outfit, with the exception of his hoodie being a faded red color, and his own hat being black and white. "It's starting to get cold outside, I wanted to give Charlie some old clothes I had."

"Then why are you dressed up, too?" Grizz commented with amusement, resting his elbow on the couch's arm rest, and his head on his palm.

"Because I happen to think I look handsome in this hoodie." Panda said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms.

"You always look handsome, sweetheart!" Charlie was quick to remind him.

"Aw, stop it." Panda laughed softly, giving a playful nudge to Charlie's arm. "Same to you, you dumb cutie. Especially in that outfit."

Panda tensed when he heard quiet, muffled laughter coming from the couch. Even Ice Bear was covering his mouth, letting out these little "heh"s at the two's flirting. Ever since Charlie and Panda had gotten together a month ago, not a day went by that they went without exchanging sweet compliments to one another. "Oh, hush." Panda rolled his eyes, a soft blush on his cheeks. Alas, he'd gotten used to his brothers teasing him.

The whole exchange was cut short when a knock was heard at the front door. Charlie yelped out, instinctively running for the kitchen. "Charlie, hey--!" Panda reached out for him, but it was a little too late, Charlie was already hidden. Panda frowned, glancing to the door. "Was anyone coming over today?"

"Aw shoot, it's probably Chloe, she had that project she needed help with!" Grizz remembered, putting a paw on his face in dismay. 

"Hellooo?" The familiar voice from behind the door confirmed Grizz's suspicion. Another knock was heard.

"Just a sec, Chloe!" Panda called out, turning towards his brothers again. "I'll go check on Charlie, can you guys answer the door?"

"On it." Ice nodded, he and Grizz both getting out of their seats. Panda gave a nod back, then rushed into the kitchen.

"Charlie?" He glanced around, walking slowly through the room to find out where the other could be hiding. "Charlie, hey, it's just me, where are you?"

Panda turned when he heard a cabinet door creaking open, finding Charlie curled up inside with all the snacks. Charlie was hugging tight onto the cheesy poof container (the one that they honestly kept more for Charlie's sake than their own), munching out of the open jar like his life depended on it.

"Charlie, you're not exactly stealth with all that crunching..." Panda smiled softly, reaching over to gently take his boyfriend's wrist. "It's just Chloe out there, we've told you about her before, haven't we?"

"Oh... Oh!" Charlie crouched so he wouldn't hit his head, sliding out of the cabinet, and only knocking a _few_ snacks out of there in the process. "Yeah, I think that name rings a few bells? She's nice, ain't she?"

"She's super nice!" Panda nodded with a wide smile, helping Charlie put the knocked-out food back into place. "We were gonna help her with this biology project today, if you wanna meet her? I mean, I completely understand if you'd rather stay here, don't get me wrong!"

"No, no, it's cool! I can totally come out and say hi, I think." Charlie stood up once all the snacks were put back in place, looking himself over, giving the pom-pom on his hat a little tug. "I think it'll be safe, shouldn't it...?"

"Yeah, man!" Panda took a hold of Charlie's hand, absolutely beaming at the idea of introducing him to one of his best friends, leading him out of the kitchen. "Hey guys! Sorry about that, we were in there talking for a minute. Hey, Chloe!"

"Oh, hey Panda!" Chloe waved from where she was kneeling by the table, seeming to have been reviewing some notes in a folder with the other two bears. Upon seeing the figure beside Panda, though, she was quick to get up, rushing over to the two. "Heya, I'm Chloe! Like you probably already heard, haha." Chloe reached out for Charlie's hand.

In a shy sort of manner, Charlie raised his hand up to give Chloe's a shake. "Uh, Charlie. Cool to meet you!" He offered a smile to her, laughing nervously.

"Charlie, huh?" Chloe's eyes lit up at the name, Chloe starting to shake the other's hand with much more rigor. "Oh man, Panda's told me so much about you! I'm so glad I finally get to meet you!"

"Woah-oh-oh..." Charlie was disoriented momentarily by the shaking, taking some time before he even registered what Chloe had told him. "He has?" Charlie blinked, feeling his face warm up with a blush.

"Of course he has! Ever since I heard he had a boyfriend, he hasn't been able to go ten minutes without mentioning you! ...No offense, Panda."

"None taken." Panda sighed with an embarrassed smile. Both halves of the couple were totally flushed in the face, laughing softly. "So, what was this project all about, again?"

"Oh! Come on, I'll catch you two up!" Chloe took Panda's hand, who was still holding onto Charlie's, leading them both back to the table. She picked up her folder, flipping through the pages. "So I have to go into the woods, observe different insects, write down anything interesting I see... I just need you guys with me, you know, pointing out anything I might not notice, showing me cool stuff that you see and I don't... Stuff like that! Besides, you guys know about the forest fauna a lot better than I do, don't you?"

"Uhhh." Said Grizz.

"Ehhhh." Panda did a sorta wiggly-paw gesture.

"Ice Bear can name any kind of pasta by touch alone. Still can't tell you difference between squirrels and chipmunks." Ice admitted, lowering his head in shame.

Charlie raised his hand up and chimed in, "Well, I can probably help!"

"Really? You want to come with us?" Chloe perked up.

"Sure thing! I live out there-- You know, practically!" Charlie added that last part quickly. "I can tell you just about anything you need to know!"

"Nice save, babe." Panda whispered to the other.

"Thanks!" Charlie whispered right back.

"Come again?" Chloe asked in a bit of confusion.

"Oh--" Panda cleared his throat. "I was just saying, yeah, Charlie's a natural when it comes to animals! Usually." He mumbled that last bit. "He can totally help you fill out whatever you need!"

"That's awesome! Thank you so much, Charlie!" Chloe beamed, closing up her folder as she started heading towards the door. "You guys ready to go?"

"Coming!" Grizz answered, he and Ice getting up to follow her.

"Right behind ya!" Charlie said, he and Panda following suit.

...Charlie ran back inside after a second, just long enough to grab the jar of cheese puffs. "Alright, now I'm coming!" He shouted back out, running to catch up with the group again.

-

"Chloe, watch out! Anthill right ahead of ya!" Charlie called out.

"Whoa!" Chloe had been so busy writing in her folder, she'd barely avoided stepping on the mound of sand in question, stumbling back. Ice was right behind her, reaching out to stop her before she fell. "Oof... Thanks." She sighed, balancing herself out again. "Well, I guess if we're here anyway, we can check out the ants...?"

The group all crouched down, careful not to disturb any of the little bugs as they watched them crawl. "Huh. They sure are... Crawling. With crumbs on their backs." 

"Ice Bear can carry at least three crumbs."

"Wait, hang on a sec." Charlie leaned down to get a closer look at one particular ant. "Hey, you, you ain't carrying anything, what's up?" The little ant turned towards Charlie, making some sort of motion with her antennae. "You dropped your food on the way back and didn't realize until it was too late, huh? Well hang on." Charlie reached into the container he'd brought with him, placing a cheesy poof gently down on the ground.

"Charlie, I dunno if an ant can... Oh. Oh, look at that!" Panda watched in awe as a few more ants came to the scene. They all approached the snack Charlie had laid down, and with some careful precision, hoisted it up on their backs. The first little ant wiggled her antennae one more time to Charlie, before they all made their move back to the anthill.

"Aw, you're welcome! Good luck!" Charlie waved her off, grinning wide.

"Huh..." As Chloe got done watching, she flipped her notes open, scribbling down some words.

Now that they'd gotten some notes on the ants, Panda was more than glad to back away from the line of ants. "I'm pretty sure a few of them were crawling on me..." He mumbled, looking himself over to make sure none were still on him.

"Aw, Panda, this is a nice bunch of ants!" Charlie gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "They were probably just being affectionate!"

"Can you tell them that I'm already taken?" Panda raised a brow and smiled. He glanced around idly, before suddenly doing a double-take at a tree. Or, more notably, something hanging on one of the limbs. "Is that...?" It was a cocoon! And it looked like it was moving! "Guys! Oh my gosh, come look at this!" Panda quickly tugged at Charlie's hand as he rushed over to the scene, coming face-to-face with the hatching cocoon.

As Chloe, Grizz, and Ice came rushing behind them, something began to emerge from the cracks. Within just a minute or two, a large, orange and black butterfly was crawling out, spreading out her wings for the first time.

Each member of the group gasped, leaning in closer to see the monarch right before their eyes. "Oh my gosh, I've never seen something like this in real life..." Panda whispered. "Hey, wait, isn't it fall? Do butterflies usually hatch around this time of year, is it gonna be okay?"

"Nah, man, monarchs hatch all the time around this time of year!" Charlie said. "She'll be just fine, her generation is gonna go on to migrate where it's warmer before the weather gets too harsh!"

Chloe was just getting done writing something down. "Hey, guys, can I get a picture real quick?" She asked as she approached Panda and Charlie. "I know you're kinda camera-shy, Charlie, just wanted to warn you before I did anything."

"Oh! Right, go for it!" Charlie scooted away a few inches, long enough to let Chloe snap some photos of the insect. Once she had gotten a good couple of pictures, she went back up to Grizz and Ice, letting the other two return to watching the butterfly on their own.

"Hey, guys, can I ask you something real quick?" Chloe walked a bit farther away, motioning for the others to do the same. "So, just so we're on the same page... You guys know that Panda's dating Bigfoot, right?"

"He's WHAT!" Grizz yelled out, hands on his head, but then he raised a brow. "Oh, wait, we already knew that."

Ice Bear's eyes went wide, and he gave Grizz a not-so-gentle kick to the knee.

"Ow! What was that fo-- Oh, right." Grizz cleared his throat, then threw his hands up in the air. "He's WHAT!"

"Grizz, that's not very convincing." Chloe crossed her arms.

"Sigh." Grizz said instead of literally sighing, putting his arms back down in defeat. "Yeah, I know."

"Chloe is surprisingly calm about this." Ice observed.

"Meh." Chloe shrugged, going back to writing. "I'm surrounded by college kids almost every day, do you think Charlie is the weirdest guy I've ever seen?"

"I can only imagine, I guess." Grizz laughed softly, he, Ice, and Chloe all turning their attention towards the other two.

"Oh! Hey, friend!" Charlie held a hand out as the butterfly made some steps towards him, the insect flying up, landing right onto his finger. "Panda! Did you see that, did you see her land on me?"

"Whoa... How'd you do that?" Panda stared in awe at the butterfly, perched so comfortably on Charlie's hand.

"No idea! Honestly, that's the first time that's actually worked." Charlie brought his hand close to Panda's face, letting the butterfly perch herself right onto Panda's nose. Panda blinked as he watched her flutter her wings idly, resting comfortably on his face, until... "Ah... Ah--!" He sneezed, the butterfly promptly flying off of his nose, and settling atop his head instead.

Charlie and Panda both sat there for a second. Charlie was the first one to snort, and before they knew it, they had both burst into a fit of giggles, all over what was probably the most affectionate butterfly they've ever met.

"Well, Bigfoot or not, Charlie and Panda sure are happy together, aren't they?" Chloe asked, smiling at the sight of her two friends.

"Yeah. They really are." Grizz agreed. The three all nodded, Panda and Charlie completely oblivious to the conversation going on behind them as they laughed with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one was a little bit filler-y but i hope it was still cute!! next fics should hopefully have some more Substance™️ aha


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